Android Cardboard and Unity VR

Android Cardboard and Unity VR

• start the course
• download the Google VR SDK that can be used to create an Android VR app using Unity
• configure a Unity scene to be able to develop VR apps using Google VR
• configure a Unity scene to enable Google VR gaze detection
• set up a game object that can respond to Google VR gaze-based interaction
• implement a UI menu in VR that responds to Google VR gaze events
• configure a UI menu to toggle its display on an off in response to user events
• set up a UI menu that moves and rotates relative to current user gaze
• deploy a Google VR app on an Android device
• deploy a Google VR app on an iOS device
• create a simple Cardboard VR app using Unity

Creating a Virtual Reality App with Unity

Creating a Virtual Reality App with Unity

• start the course
• download and install Unity3d and associated components
• set up and configure a virtual reality project within Unity
• import and install sample files into a Unity VR project
• describe and use the VREyeRaycaster script to determine what the eye may be looking at
• use the VRInput class to determine if the user has provided any input
• attach the VRInteractiveItem component to GameObjects
• use a custom script to subscribe to and respond to VRInteractiveItem events
• render a reticle on objects as a user's gaze changes within the environment
• use Selection Radials to get confirmation an action should take place
• use Selection Sliders to fill in bars to get confirmation a user wants an action to take place
• use colliders and Rigidbody to implement realistic movement in an app
• use LoadSceneAsync to prevent lag or jitters when loading data in a virtual reality environment
• use the built-in Unity VR capabilities to build a virtual reality app

Introduction to Virtual Reality

Introduction to Virtual Reality

• start the course
• describe virtual reality, the importance of virtual reality, and the future of virtual reality
• define the types of virtual reality and when they could be used
• describe the beginning of virtual reality and how it has reached the point it is at today
• identify where virtual reality is already being used or could be used in the near future
• define the levels of immersion and how it affects a user in virtual reality
• describe the types of virtual reality hardware and their capabilities or limits
• compare some of the features and capabilities of current virtual reality headgear
• describe the tools and environments that exist for developing virtual reality games and applications
• distinguish and describe the differences between programming virtual reality games and applications with C++ vs. C#
• identify the hardware and software requirements for developing virtual reality applications with Unity
• describe VR, the types of VR, and the available development tools

Manipulating the VR Environment

Manipulating the VR Environment

• start the course
• describe the symptoms of virtual reality sickness and the contributing factors
• specify how virtual reality environments can cause nausea and other discomforts for users
• prevent nausea and give the user a comfortable virtual environment experience
• interact with a user's sense of motion and recognize how it affects virtual reality experiences
• describe how gaze is used and how it affects a VR environment
• define what a reticle is and how it can be used to help a user within a virtual reality environment
• work with the render scale to find a balance between sharpness and performance
• use head rotation and position tracking in a virtual reality environment
• use a touchpad, keyboard, control stick, or headgear buttons to allow users to manipulate a virtual reality environment
• describe how manipulating a virtual reality environment can affect a user

Optimizing for Unity VR

Optimizing for Unity VR

• start the course
• describe why optimization is fundamental for a user to have a good VR experience
• use the Unity profiler to find areas that need optimization
• use the Unity Frame Debugger to investigate rendering issues and find objects that don't need to be rendered
• optimize the drawing of objects by removing faces of any object that will not be seen
• find objects that are being overdrawn and remove them to reduce wasting GPU time
• use occlusion culling to prevent rendering of objects that are not visible
• use Draw Call batching to batch draw calls to improve performance
• eliminate or reduce the lighting requirements to increase performance
• use shaders only where appropriate to increase performance
• use the built-in Quality Settings to balance the visual quality versus performance of the app
• adjust the Level of Detail (LOD) setting to reduce the number of rendered triangles as objects get farther away
• describe why optimization is required for VR apps and describe some of the techniques that can be used

User Interfaces in Virtual Reality

User Interfaces in Virtual Reality

• start the course
• describe the limitations of UI interfaces in VR and the possible solutions
• use antialiasing and adjust the sharpness of text
• render 3D text within a VR environment
• create and use a non-diegetic Ui to display data to a user
• create and use a spatial UI to display data to a user
• create and use a Diegetic UI to display data to a user
• set up a blink transition that can be used in favor or player movement
• create a menu that can come into focus as the user targets a object or placeholder
• use the different types of User Interfaces to create a curved 3D menu for a VR app
• Describe the ways in which menus can be used effectively in a VR environment

Using GoogleVR and Unreal

Using GoogleVR and Unreal

• start the course
• describe how to install Unreal Engine on a development machine
• configure Unreal Engine for developing Android apps
• create a new Blueprint-based project in Unreal Engine
• modify Unreal Engine project settings to facilitate GoogleVR development
• create a pawn that represents a user's VR viewpoint
• modify a Blueprint to add a line trace for gaze-based interaction
• implement gaze-based interaction by hit testing based on a line trace
• use Unreal tools to debug a line trace
• configure Unreal Engine settings to be able to build a VR project for Android
• deploy a GoogleVR app from Unreal to a connected Android device
• create a Steam and Unreal VR app